Fuel pump issue?

[tuxicle]

After I rode about 50 miles to a friends house, my Monster 695 wouldn't start when I was about to head back. I determined that the fuel pump was not priming (we could hear the gauge sweep from the instruments, but no priming from the tank.) All fuses are fine. Checked the fuel pump connector (four-pin AMP sealed) with a multimeter, it showed 12V when the ignition was turned, then a few seconds later it dropped to zero. This should be the time the pump primes. He let me ride his FZ6 back home, while we come up with a solution.

Would the best bet be to replace the pump? Or is this bad enough to warrant biting the bullet to have it taken to a shop? In the latter case, does anyone have a recommendation for a Duc shop in the Westminster/Denver area? Otherwise I'd have to have it trucked all the way back to Loveland to Colorado Euro, where I normally take her for servicing. Any help would  be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[iltl32]

My Monster just did this as well.  The problem is probably not the actual pump, but the wiring that goes from outside of the tank to inside the tank.  The wires run through a sealed conduit in the fuel flange, and they tend to break in there from the tank being lifted up.  It's apparantly very common.

Some people have had luck repairing the wires, but most just have to buy a new flange.  It's over $1,000 from a dealer, but you can get a used one for a couple hundred.

It may also just be the fuel pump itself.  Drain the tank, take the flange out, and put power to the pump to see if it kicks on.  If it's just the pump you can get an aftermarket one for a couple hundred.  Ducati won't sell just the pump, you have to buy the whole flange assembly for the price mentioned above.

I can't find a used flange so I'm going to drill a new hole in the flange, run a wire, and seal it up.  I'm very skeptical that this will work, but I can't afford to drop 1K over a bad wire.  I really really hate Ducati electronics.

[tuxicle]

Thanks for the info, iltl32. Odd that we both have the same problem on almost the same day! I had found some posts on here (including yours) about similar issues, and there was some debate about the sealant withstanding contact with gasoline for extended periods. I looked around and couldn't find the flange assembly anywhere, so I'm guessing I'd have to drill out the flange. Worst part is that my bike is so far away, I can't easily do these tests to zero in on the problem. Guess I'll have to trailer it back.

Edit: I do remember that the rubber boot around the wire harness going in to the flange was chafed, and I could see the individual wires inside. I suppose my troubles might be with the wiring after all.

[krista]

Hi tuxicle,

I saw your PM, thanks for bringing this link to my attention. We are currently working on getting a replacement wiring harness made so we can have a cost effective solution for this.

We have been contacted by a few dealerships to help with this and for the moment, the best thing we can do is buy a new $300 aprilia fuel flange, take its wires out, & use with one of our $50 adapters to work. But it's a complete solution with new parts and resets the clock...

When our wiring harness is done, we won't need to be buying the $300 aprilia fuel flanges just for their wires.

We've been doing a LOT of work this year in solving high $$$$ problems via common sense solutions. This is one of seven new products I'm very excited to be offering soon.

Thanks,
Chris

[tuxicle]

So when I went back to my friend's place to pick up the bike, she started up just fine. Rode her back home, and went riding several times this week. She quit on me a couple of miles from home last night, so had to call the towing company. She actually started this morning, but I drained the fuel tank and opened the flange up. I noticed that someone had already installed quick-disconnects on the fuel line. Perhaps when the fuel tank was swapped under warranty by the previous owner.

I forgot to mark the order of the fuel lines, though - does this matter? From what I could tell, they connect to the two injectors in series, and then returns back to the tank.

Struggled a bit with the metal washer things that hold the plastic bits down, a couple of them snapped. What are they called? Can I pick up replacements locally?

So I found the epoxy covering the fuel-tank side of the flange:



Started digging in with a screw driver. Eventually found this:



The red wire (positive lead to pump) fell out of the socket. On close inspection it looks like a dry solder joint. This leads me to believe that it may simply have been poor quality control on the units from the OEM, and not necessarily due to ethanol contained in the gas. The other reason I say this is because the the fuel level sender has a large solder joint on the outside that doesn't seem to have suffered any damage:



Any part number recommendations on a replacement fuel filter are welcome. I noticed some crud on the fuel pump screen, I just scooped it out with a finger.

Once Chris gets some wiring harnesses out, I'm willing to give them a try.

[krista]

Yeah, the order shouldn't matter on the hoses. Also the flanges have the squeeze quick fittings from the factory.

Those metal things are called push-nuts. I bought a bunch of them to include with the wires when we start selling kits.

Thanks,
Chris

[iltl32]

Check out http://ca-cycleworks.com/, they should have fuel filter.

[krista]

They'll say buy whatever works from local auto parts store.